PC, NPC and Boffers: Are You a LARP Expert?

Verily, what LARP stands for may be one of the only things those who participate in them agree upon. Quiz yourself on LARP lingo and culture.

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Question 1 of 30

What does LARP stand for?

land and agrarian role-play

live-action role-play

LARP is an acronym for live-action role-play (or role-playing).

long-range role-play

Question 2 of 30

What game is this similar to?

Dungeons & Dragons

LARPs are similar to a game of Dungeons & Dragons, but the game is acted out instead of being played tableside.

Magic: The Gathering

Walrus

Question 3 of 30

All LARPs are based in what kind of setting?

fantasy

horror

western

romance

Any setting will do.

Historical periods and fantasy and science fiction worlds are just some of the settings, which are up to the players' imaginations. Most LARP events are based in fantasy settings, but any setting you can imagine will do.

Question 4 of 30

What are LARP players known as?

LARPers

People who play are called LARPers, which stands for live-action role-players.

members

actors

Question 5 of 30

LARPers create in-game personas known as what?

performers

personas

player characters

Player characters (PC), are the personas each LARPer makes up for in-game play. A player is a person at the event and is responsible for his or her actions out of play; a character is a player-created in-game role.

Question 6 of 30

What is considered the first LARP?

An Tir

Dagorhir

Dagorhir, a medieval-set battle organized by "The Lord of the Rings" fan Bryan Weise in Maryland in 1977, is believed to be the first LARP event.

The Gathering

Question 7 of 30

Who did the local radio station promotional ad invite to Dagorhir?

anyone who wanted “to fight in Hobbit wars with padded weapons”

An ad on a local radio station invited anyone who wanted “to fight in Hobbit wars with padded weapons.”

anyone who wanted “to hit other people with foam swords”

anyone who wanted “to spar with padded swords”

Question 8 of 30

What does it mean to fight "sword and board"?

fighting with a one-handed weapon and a shield

Fighting "sword and board" means you're using one hand for a weapon and the other for a shield.

fighting aggro-style

fighting until death

Question 9 of 30

What is a "boffer"?

a contact or melee foam weapon

A "boffer" is a usually handmade contact or melee weapon such as a sword, mace or hammer. It's lightweight (such as a PVC tube), padded with foam and used during "boffering" (simulated combat).

a realistic-looking latex weapon

flourishes affixed to a foam weapon

Question 10 of 30

Some participants attend LARP games for free in exchange for what?

a foam weapon

chain mail

playing a nonplayable character (NPC)

Some LARP events and LARPers agree that those who act as nonplayable characters (also called "monsters") may attend for free.

Question 11 of 30

Where in the world is LARPing most popular?

Denmark

Denmark is the hotspot for LARPing.

Germany

Japan

Question 12 of 30

What is considered the largest LARP in the world?

ConQuest

ConQuest is filled with more than 6,000 players, about 1,500 full-time NPCs and tribe-actors.

Mythodea

Rittergut Brokeloh

Question 13 of 30

Where is Alliance, is one of the oldest LARP groups in the U.S., based?

Ohio

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania-based group Alliance is one of the oldest LARPs in the U.S.

Washington

Question 14 of 30

Which documentary film chronicles the showdown between the Mordom and Laconia kingdoms at another of America's oldest LARPs?

Darkon

Darkon is one of America's oldest LARP clubs, founded in 1985 in Baltimore. The award-winning documentary about it and those in its community was also called "Darkon."

The Dwarvenaut

The Great Kingdom

Question 15 of 30

Which is considered unsafe gameplay?

charging

corkscrewing

turtling

all of these

Charging (crowding your opponent), corkscrewing (walking circles around an injured opponent who cannot stand, forcing them to spin during battle) and turtling (hiding one's full body behind a shield) are all considered safety violations during gameplay.

none of these

Question 16 of 30

True or false: The only type of contact allowed during battle is by a weapon.

In what movie does Erik's epic quest to win back his lady, Evelyn, happen at the time of the LARPers' big battle?

"Monster Camp"

"Knights of Badassdom"

"The Wild Hunt"

In "The Wild Hunt," Erik joins a LARP to try to get his girlfriend, Evelyn, back after she confesses that's what she does on the weekends.

Question 18 of 30

What does it equal when you add up your character's armor points and body points?

how much damage the character can still take

The total of a character's armor points and body Points is equal to how much damage that character can still take (hit points).

how much celestial magic that character can use

how much damage the character has dealt

Question 19 of 30

If you take a hit to an arm while you're not wearing armor, what happens?

You lose that arm.

You lose your arm in-game, which means it can't be used for anything.

You lose half your body points.

You lose the game.

Question 20 of 30

Which WON'T help keep you in combat-ready shape during the off-season?

cosplay

Cosplay is fun but won't keep you in tip-top shape. Physical activity like fencing and dancing can help keep you in combat-ready shape.

fencing

dancing

Question 21 of 30

Which is an illegal hit during gameplay?

below the belt

to the head

to the neck

All of these are no-nos.

All of these are illegal hits.

Question 22 of 30

In many LARPs, what does the acronym "CP" stand for?

campaign points

character points

CP stands for character points, which are like experience points in tabletop role-playing games. They're earned by participating in the event and used to increase character stats and in-game abilities.

crunch points

Question 23 of 30

Which documentary film goes inside the Seattle-based LARP group NERO?

"Mazes and Monsters"

"Monster Camp"

Cullen Hoback's 2007 documentary "Monster Camp" is the story of NERO Seattle. (Actually, that's it's complete title — "Monster Camp: The Story Of NERO Seattle").

"Role Models"

Question 24 of 30

What does the acronym "GM" stand for?

game model

game mechanics

game master

Just as in tabletop versions of role-playing games, such as Dungeons & Dragons, "GM" stands for "game master." This is the person who runs the game.

Question 25 of 30

What is an acceptable reason to yell "hold" and pause gameplay?

a nonplayer enters the site

You're hit by an unsafe weapon.

You broke your glasses/lost a contact.

all of the above

All of these are acceptable reasons to yell for a pause in gameplay.

There is no pause in gameplay.

Question 26 of 30

What is yelled when a "hold" in gameplay ends?

Game on!

Huzzah!

Lay on!

With a countdown of three, "Lay on!" is yelled when gameplay ends.

Question 27 of 30

In which comedy do LARPers accidentally conjure a succubus from hell during gameplay?

"Knights of Badassdom"

It's in the "Knights of Badassdom" where LARPers — specifically, Steve Zahn's character of an almost-level 27 wizard — accidentally conjure a demon from hell during gameplay.

"Thaco"

"Zero Charisma"

Question 28 of 30

True or false: The Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) is a LARP staged in pre-17th century Europe.

true

false

While it's true the SCA does recreate pre-17th century Europe, the organization is not considered a LARP.

Question 29 of 30

If it's not a LARPing group, what is the Society for Creative Anachronism?

a nonprofit educational organization

SCA is a nonprofit educational organization that recreates the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

a real kingdom

an annual tournament

Question 30 of 30

Name one thing in a LARP that ISN'T part of the SCA experience.

dark elves

heroic quests

hit points

spells

None of these are part of the SCA experience.

Okay, name four things. Whereas the SCA re-enacts a historical experience, a LARP is a game, complete with fantasy, magic and hit points.